More comprehensive data on research, development and innovation (RDI) and information campaigns to raise the innovation-awareness of institutions and enterprises were both on the agenda of the meeting between Gabriella Vukovich, President of the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (HCSO) and József Pálinkás, President of the National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NRDI Office).

The aim of strengthening cooperation between the NRDI Office as the government agency responsible for the coordination of RDI policy in Hungary and the HCSO as the government agency responsible for the publication of official statistical data on the social and economic situation and population trends of Hungary is to further improve the methodology of collecting RDI data, the quality and usability of such data, and the overall process of data supply. The common goal of the two institutions is to raise the innovation-awareness of the R&D community, more specifically businesses, when supplying data.

It is also a common priority to have more accurate data on the RDI activity of businesses as well as other institutions and organisations. To this end, businesses should describe their RDI activity and expenditure more accurately and provide more precise information in the framework of statistical data collections. The two heads also discussed at the meeting that in the future HCSO should rely on a broader and more complete range of data available about research funding.

When compiling statistics, HCSO experts rely on the data supply of individual research centres and innovative businesses which decide at their own discretion whether they have pursued any research, development or innovation activity.

Increased innovation-awareness has the potential to improve the accuracy of statistics in two ways: on the one hand, the professional support of completing the data supply forms can help businesses to better understand the meaning and possible forms of innovation. On the other hand, the increased awareness of the meaning and importance of innovation at businesses can contribute to a stronger innovation culture and stimulate more authentic data supply.